The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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It wasn’t until I returned to the castle that I felt embarrassed recalling my conversation with Elsie.

During the return, however, I was delighted.

The squirrel quietly nestled in my pocket was the kind of squirrel you’d typically think of—dark brown fur with white stripes running along its head and body. It looked cute, and when I held it in my hands, it was fluffy and warm.

Though I wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about creatures of this kind, I had heard that animals captured in the wild rarely obey humans. “If something cute isn’t widely kept as a pet, there’s always a reason,” they say.

It could be because they smell or have habits that make them difficult to raise.

Thinking about it, squirrels like this must be common in the area, but I didn’t see many Delkis people keeping them as pets. Of course, it could simply be because they’re so ubiquitous that no one bothers, or, as Elsie said, because people here can’t afford to take responsibility for another animal when they barely have enough to eat themselves.

But setting aside such reasons, at the moment, I was simply happy to have this adorable creature. It didn’t exhibit the kind of troublesome behaviors typically associated with wild animals. Even when placed on my hand, it just stayed there, tilting its tiny ears while looking up at me, a sight so endearing that made my heart nearly leap out of my chest.

Even during the ride back on the wolf, I was so overjoyed that I forgot my fear—

But once I got back, the things I had said to Elsie started coming back to me one by one.

Elsie hadn’t blamed me for wanting to keep the squirrel. On the contrary, she even helped by taking a bunch of acorns that were stored in the squirrel’s nest, sealing them securely in a pouch, and handing them to me as its food.

She didn’t look at me with disdain or give me any strange looks as if I were a bizarre person, but…

“…Sigh…”

Back in my room at Delkis Castle, after asking a maid to find a basket for the squirrel and its food, I couldn’t stop replaying my words in my head. They had been selfish and dismissive of Elsie’s perspective.

I lined the basket with a thick blanket, poured in the squirrel’s food, and gently placed the little creature on top.

At first, the squirrel darted its gaze around as if trying to grasp the situation but soon burrowed into the blanket and stopped moving. Worried, I lightly touched it with my finger, and to my relief, it was breathing softly. Well, it had just woken up after all. According to its instincts, it made sense to fall back asleep.

While I found its tiny, curled-up figure adorable, the Delkis people would likely view it quite differently.

“Why did I even do that…”

There’s a concept called cultural relativism—the idea that as long as another culture doesn’t infringe on your fundamental rights, it’s right to respect it.

Even aside from Delkis, there were many countries in my previous world where eating rodents wasn’t considered strange. Not just because of food shortages; in some places, they were considered a delicacy, while in others, they were simply a traditional part of the diet. People had no aversion to consuming them even when prepared in elaborate dishes.

Living in Delkis meant adhering to Delkis customs. What seemed off-putting to me might be perfectly normal to the Delkis people.

Especially considering that, technically speaking, I was part of a family closely tied to Delkis by blood.

When I read Amelia’s actions in the novel, I had criticized her.

In the first part of the story, Amelia was a malicious but rather dim-witted character. However, after the events of the first arc, she seemed to have had an epiphany—or pretended to—and acted as though she had turned over a new leaf when sent to Delkis in near exile.

Of course, it was all calculated.

Although she appeared cold on the surface, she subtly manipulated the innocent Elsie, sowing distrust toward the heroine and using Elsie as a pawn to enact her revenge.

Amelia ultimately met ruin once again, but not without leaving Elsie deeply scarred. And since Elsie wasn’t the male protagonist, her suffering went largely unaddressed in the narrative, unlike the heroes who typically avenged villains and received their rewards. Elsie was merely pitiable.

Still, during the time she “acted,” Amelia strictly adhered to Delkis customs. Without doing so, she couldn’t have deceived the entire territory.

And probably, though the novel didn’t describe it explicitly… she must have eaten food that would horrify outsiders with an indifferent expression.

“…I’m worse than Amelia.”

I let out a long sigh and slumped onto the desk where the basket rested.

If it were me, I could’ve truly been friends with her.

That’s what I had thought when I saw Amelia exploiting Elsie.

Yet, despite that, after reincarnating here, I tried to avoid Delkis as much as possible. It was too cold and barren for me to stay here for long. The capital of the Grand Duchy was far more livable by comparison.

My perspective only shifted slightly after learning that Elsie was a transmigrator, but I still seemed to view Delkis people differently.

…Come to think of it, I ended up here in the first place because I couldn’t trust Elsie. I was worried she might seduce the Crown Prince.

Though my suspicion turned out to be partly correct regarding the events that unfolded, emotionally, I was entirely wrong.

Being from the modern world wasn’t an excuse. Elsie had come here as a modern person too, much younger than me, and had already become part of Delkis.

What if my behavior today came across as overly selfish?

What if Elsie saw me as a villainess like Amelia?

Honestly, even these thoughts were self-centered. It wasn’t about whether Elsie considered me a friend, but about how she might see me as just another character driving her to ruin.

“….”

Staring at the gently rising and falling blanket, I exhaled deeply.

Alright, I’ll apologize.

I couldn’t stay here for a year like the prince, but now that I knew Elsie was a transmigrator, I planned to visit often. To maintain our relationship, I needed to apologize sincerely and reflect on my mistakes.

Tomorrow, I’d definitely apologize.

I made up my mind.

—

“Sorry about yesterday.”

I was surprised to hear Amelia wanted to see me early in the morning. But as soon as we met, she apologized.

Not understanding what was happening, I blinked at her blankly. Amelia, looking slightly embarrassed, shifted her gaze and explained why she was apologizing.

“Yesterday, um… I’m sorry for my reaction to the hunting spoils. I realized it’s probably normal for Delkis people.”

“Oh.”

That.

I hadn’t thought much about it.

Sure, it might’ve seemed like an overreaction, but everyone has foods they can’t eat.

For example, I would never eat silkworm pupae. They’re kind of gross, honestly. The smell too. In my previous life, I could eat almost anything, but I wouldn’t go near pupae.

Some of my friends couldn’t eat kimchi, and others couldn’t eat melons. It was baffling to me since I ate everything, but arguing over it would have been pointless.

Compared to that, disliking squirrel meat was understandable.

I had lived in Delkis for years, and later, even Prince Evan, who accepted the hunted squirrel from me during the ceremony, didn’t seem bothered. Maybe he was just braver, fitting for the male lead of a romance fantasy.

“That’s not something you need to apologize for,” I replied.

“Really?”

“Yes, everyone has foods they can’t eat.”

Had it been a Delkis native, they might’ve gotten a bit of a scolding. Food was a precious resource here and often in short supply.

But Amelia was a guest. Moreover, the Grand Ducal House always sent supplies to supplement our shortages, and Amelia and Prince Evan even brought their own provisions for their stay. While it wasn’t enough for a year, additional supplies from the royal capital were likely en route.

As long as she could take responsibility for her preferences, there was no issue with being picky. It wasn’t for us to criticize.

“…But still, it didn’t sound like I was being dismissive, did it?”

Well… I did briefly have a fleeting thought: ‘Southern people, am I right?’

But that wasn’t because I thought she was looking down on us. It was just because of her startled face while looking at the game.

If anything, I was the one who looked down on her.

Of course, I wouldn’t say that out loud.

…It might slightly go against the family creed, but a little flexibility wouldn’t hurt. Didn’t my brother say something similar when I was set to spar with the prince?

“Were you trying to insult us?”

“Of course not.”

“Then isn’t that enough?”

“…Is it?”

“It is.”

When I nodded, Amelia still looked uneasy.

As expected of the ‘villainess’ from a villainess novel.

She was so diligent.